Tool for lifting and installing a fire hydrant or the like



Nov. 2, 1965 F. TOOL FOR LIF D. OVERMAN TING AND INSTALLING A FIRE HYDRAN'I' OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 12, 1963 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,215,464 TOOL FOR LIFTING AND INSTALLING A FIRE HYDRANT OR THE LIKE Fred D. Overman, 2208 Lynn Drive, Big Spring, Tex. Filed Nov. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 322,874 4 Claims. (Cl. 294-90) The present invention relates to tools and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, relates to a device for lifting a fire hydrant or the like and holding it plumb while it is being connected into a water main.

The standard fire hydrant 0r fire plug has an elongated cylindrical body. A bell-shaped cap is connected to the top of the cylindrical body by a conventional bolted flange which forms an annular shoulder. The outlets to which the fire hoses are connected extend radially outwardly from the cylindrical body and are closed by caps when not in use. Substantially all new fire hydrants are connected to a vertical riser which in turn is connected to a bolted flange L prior to shipment from the factory. The fire hydrant can then be connected to a suitable water main merely by making the connection between the L and the main.

Since a fire hydrant, the riser and the L weigh several hundred pounds and cannot be easily lifted by workers, the standard procedure for installing the hydrant is to wrap a chain around the hydrant below the flange of the bell-shaped cap and then lift the chain by means of a suitable Winch truck to properly position the hydrant, riser and L. This procedure is somewhat dangerous because the chain sometimes slips and the heavy hydrant falls on the workers who must work beneath the hydrant in order to make the connection between the L and the Water main. Further, since the chain must necessarily pass to one side of the flange, the hydrant and riser hang at an unacceptable cant to the vertical such that it is very diflicult to properly align the hydrant and riser with the water main in order to make the necessary connection.

The present invention contemplates a novel tool for securely connecting a winch line to a fire hydrant in such a manner that the fire hydrant and riser will be suspended substantially plumb or in the vertical position. Without intending to limit the invention at this point, the tool may be summarily described as comprising a ring portion for disposition around the upper end of the hydrant, a plurality of hooks pivotally connected to the ring portion and extending down past the flange, a tension member interconnecting the hook members for drawing the hook members against the body of the hydrant, and a bail connected to the ring member for lifting the tool and the hydrant, riser and L.

Therefore an important object of the present invention is to provide a tool for setting a fire hydrant or the like which automatically positions the hydrant and riser in the vertical or plumb position so that it can easily be connected to a water main.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of the type described which eliminates some of the hazards normally associated with the setting of fire hydrants.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tool of the type described which can be afiixed to the fire hydrant and riser while the hydrant is lying in horizontal position on the ground, and which can be used to lift the hydrant to the plumb position.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a tool of the type described which may be quickly and easily connected to a fire hydrant or the like.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tool of the type described which can be connected to a fire hydrant or the like of different sizes.

Many additional objects and advantages will be evident to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a tool constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the tool of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial sectional view showing one feature of the tool of FIGURE 1 in greater detail; and

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the tool shown in FIG- URE 1 with the tool connected to a conventional fire hydrant, riser and L.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGURE 1, a tool constructed in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The tool 10 comprises a ring member 12 which forms an aperture 12a for receiving the upper, usually bell-shaped end of a fire hydrant 40 as will presently be described. A bail member 14 is rigidly connected to the ring member 12 and preferably is shaped generally like an inverted V so that when the winch line is connected to the hail, the tool and a fire hydrant to which it is connected will hang plumb as will presently be described in greater detail. When hanging in this position, the ring member 12 is disposed in a generally horizontal position.

Three hook members 16, 18 and 20 are pivotally connected at the upper ends 16a, 18a and 20a to the ring member 12 by pins 16d, 18d and 20d, respectively. Each of the hook members is curved outwardly in the center in order to accommodate the flange of a fire hydrant as will presently be described, and the hook members have heel portions 16b, 18b and 2011, respectively, for engaging the cylindrical body of a fire hydrant at a point below the flange and exerting an upward force on the flange.

A conventonal link chain 22 serves as the tension member and is connected to the lower end of the hook member 16 by a pin 23 and is of sufiicient length to pass around the hook members 18 and 20 and back to the hook member 16 when the heel portions of the respective hook members are pressed against the cylindrical body of a fire hydrant. The lower ends of hook members 18 and 20 are provided with outwardly-facing toe portions which form recesses 18c and 200, respectively, for receiving the chain 22. As can best be seen in FIGURE 3, the heel portion 16b of the hook 16 is provided with a bore 16:: which receives the threaded shank 24 of a chain hook indicated generally by the reference numeral 26. The

chain hook 26 may be of conventional design and has a slot 28 for receiving any one of the links of the chain 22 to secure the chain at the selected point for purposes which will presently be described. A wing nut 30 is threaded onto the shank 24 and engages the side of the hook member 16 when tightened to tension the chain 22 about the hook members 18 and 20 and draw the three hook members against the body of the hydrant as will hereafter be described.

The operation of the tool 10 can best be understood by reference to FIGURE 4. A standard fire hydrant indicated generally by the reference numeral40 has a cylindrical body 42 which is connected by a bolted flange 44 to a bell-shaped upper end 46. The lower end 'of the fire hydrant is bolted to a riser 48 which is usually several feet long and which in turn is connected to a bolted flange L 50 for connecting the hydrant to a water main or other suitable conduit.

The tool 10 is connected to the fire hydrant 40 which may be lying in a horizontal position on the ground, by placing the ring member 12 around the bell-shaped upper end 46 and swinging the pivoted hook members 16, 18 and 20 around the flange 44 until the heel portions 16b, 18b and 20b, respectively, engage the body 42 of the hydrant below the flange. The chain 22 is then passed around the hook members 18 and 20 and placed in the recesses 18c and 200. The wing nut 30 is loosened on the shank 24 of the chain hook 26 and the chain 22 stretched as tight as possible by hand before a link of the chain is placed in the slot 28. Then the wing nut 30 is tightened until the chain 22 is tensioned and the heel portions 16b, 18b and 20b are thereby pressed tightly against the body of the fire hydrant 40. It will be appreciated that this procedure can be easily accomplished by a single worker even though the fire hydrant 40 and riser 48 are lying horizontally on the ground.

When a winch line connected to the bail 14 is raised until the L 50 swings free of the ground, the hydrant 40 and riser 48 will hang substantially plumb. During the transition from the horizontal to the vertical position, the ring member 12 will usually engage the bellshaped upper end 46 of the hydrant so that the two-point contact established by the heel portions 16b, 18b and 20b of the respective hook members and the ring member 12 will keep the bail 14 properly oriented with respect to the hydrant and will not result in excessive tension on the chain. If the chain 22 is sufficiently tight, the ring member 12 may not engage the end of the hydrant 40, but usually the chain will not be so tight that the ring member 12 will not come into play when only the wing nut is used to tension the chain.

As previously mentioned, when the L 50 swings clear of the ground, the fire hydrant 40 and riser 48 will hang plumb so that the L 50 can be lowered into the ditch and easily manipulated, aligned and connected to the water main. In this connection, it will be noted that the protrusion of the end of the L 50 will tend to cause the riser 48 and hydrant 40 to be canted slightly to the vertical if the Vd portion of the bail 14 is directly aligned with the aXis of the hydrant 40. This situation can be counteracted if desired by making the inverted V portion of the bail 14 slightly otf-center. The bail can then easily be aligned with the L each time the tool is connected to the hydrant 40 in such a manner that the Vd portion of the bail will be more properly aligned with the combined center of gravity of the hydrant, riser and L. However, in most cases the slight tilt induced by the L 50 will be unnoticeable and of no adverse consequence.

From the above detailed description, it will be evident that a novel tool has been described which can easily and quickly be connected to a fire hydrant of substantially and size. The hook members are pivotally connected to the ring member and the eflective length of the chain 22 can be varied in order to accommodate a fire hydrant of substantially any diameter. The ring member 12 can easily be sized to accommodate the upper ends of all standard fire hydrants when the heel portions of the hook members are in contact with the hydrant below the flange. The tool 10 makes the job of installing a fire hydrant far safer than has previously been the case when a chain has been used to lift the hydrant and riser. Further, since the hydrant 40 and riser 48 hang plumb from the tool 10, the L 50 may be very easily manipulated into position and the hydrant and riser 48 supported while the L is connected to the water main. art that the novel tool can be used to lift and install de- It will beevident to those skilled in the vices other than fire hydrants by modifying dimensions as required in order to accommodate the tool to the particular device.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it is to be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for lifting and installing a fire hydrant or the like having a cylindrical body with an upper end and an annular flange adjacent thereto comprising:

a ring member having an opening for receiving the upper end of the fire hydrant,

bail means connected to the ring member for suspending the ring member in a generally horizontal position,

at least three elongated hook members pivotally connected at the upper ends to the ring member and extending downwardly therefrom, each hook member having a heel portion disposed a sufiicient distance from the ring member to engage the cylindrical body of the hydrant below the annular flange and being adapted to exert an upward force on the flange, and I tension means connected to one of the hook members of sufficient length to extend around the other hook members and back to said one of the hook members for holding the heel portions of the hook members against the cylindrical body.

2. A tool for lifting and installing a fire hydrant or the like as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the tension means has a variable effective length for accommodating the tool to fire hydrants of different sizes.

3. A tool for lifting and installing a fire hydrant or the like as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the tension means comprises a link chain connected to one of the hook members,

a bore in said one hook member,

a chain hook means having a threaded shank disposed in the bore for selective connection to a plurality of links of the chain, and

nut means threaded onto the shank and engaging said one hook means for tensioning the chain around the hook members.

4. A tool for lifting and installing a fire hydrant or the like as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the ring member is adapted to receive and engage the upper end of the hydrant whereby the tool can more readily move the hydrant from a horizontal position to a substantially plumb position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,473,013 11/23 Clark 294-113 2,644,713 7/53 Failing 294-113 X 3,020,078 2/62 Ray 294-113 X SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR LIFTING AND INSTALLING A FIRE HYDRANT OR THE LIKE HAVING A CYLINDRICAL BODY WITH AN UPPER END AND AN ANNULAR FLANGE ADJACENT THERETO COMPRISING: A RING MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING FOR RECEIVING THE UPPER END OF THE FIRE HYDRANT, BAIL MEANS CONNECTED TO THE RING MEMBER FOR SUSPENDING THE RING MEMBER IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION, AT LEAST THREE ELONGATED HOOK MEMBERS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT THE UPPER ENDS TO THE RING MEMBER AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, EACH HOOK MEMBER HAVING A HEEL PORTION DISPOSED A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE FROM THE RING MEMBER TO ENGAGE THE CYLINDRICAL BODY OF THE HYDRANT BELOW THE ANNULAR FLANGE AND BEING ADAPTED TO EXERT AN UPWARD FORCE ON THE FLANGE, AND TENSION MEANS CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE HOOK MEMBERS OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH TO EXTEND AROUND THE OTHER HOOK MEMBERS AND BACK TO SAID ONE OF THE HOOK MEMBERS FOR HOLDING THE HEEL PORTIONS OF THE HOOK MEMBERS AGAINST THE CYLINDRICAL BODY. 